The present invention relates to three-dimensional graphics and animation, and more particularly, to a motion capture system enabling improved efficiency in processing large motion capture data files.
Motion capture (“MOCAP”) systems are used to capture the movement of a real object and map it onto a computer generated object. Such systems are often used in the production of motion pictures and video games for creating a digital representation of a person for use as source data to create a computer graphics (“CG”) animation. In a typical system, an actor wears a suit having markers attached at various locations (e.g., having small reflective markers attached to the body and limbs) and digital cameras record the movement of the actor from different angles while illuminating the markers. The system then analyzes the images to determine the locations (e.g., as spatial coordinates) and orientation of the markers on the actor's suit in each frame. By tracking the locations of the markers, the system creates a spatial representation of the markers over time and builds a digital representation of the actor in motion. The motion is then applied to a digital model, which may then be textured and rendered to produce a complete CG representation of the actor and/or performance. This technique has been used by special effects companies to produce realistic animations in many popular movies.